But it wasn't until a friend came by, that Odell Mahem realized what happened across the street from her home.

"I heard a bang, but I didn’t even get up and look out," said Mahem. "I thought wow I didn’t know; I didn’t know what to think but that’s not the first wreck. There’s been Lord I don’t know how many accidents in the same place since I moved here."

Chattanooga Police say the back of the semi was on the railroad tracks, as the semi-truck driver waited to turn onto Highway 11. A Norfolk Southern train with 137 rail cars was headed towards the semi, but the semi-truck driver couldn't go anywhere because of traffic. When the train hit, the back of the semi was torn off spilling boxes of paper towels.

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson says the train was not able to stop quickly. We're told it takes at least one and a half mile for a train to stop; that's about 18 football fields.